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Your Comments Fuel Gay Gaming Conference
Physically, you may not have been at EA Redwood Shores this weekend. But if you commented on to Justin Cole’s op-ed column to Kotaku, you were there in spirit. Cole used commenters’ responses to his post, The Impact of Homophobia in Virtual Communities, to drive discussion among panelists Caryl Shaw (Senior Producer at EA’s Maxis),…
By AJ Glasser Published July 20, 2009 -
Microsoft Patents Drop-In Co-Op In Shooters
Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office assigned the maker of the Xbox 360 and publisher of Gears of War the feature to offer seamless switching from solo to co-op gaming in squad-based shooters. The patent, #7,559,834 was invented by James York of Austin, Texas and filed back in the original Xbox era…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 20, 2009 -
Preview The Next 360 System Update
Microsoft is inviting thousands of Xbox 360 owners to help beta test the next big Xbox 360 system update, and your chance is just a modest survey away. As they did with the New Xbox Experience last year, so Microsoft is doing with the next big system update, inviting users by the thousands to test…
By Mike Fahey Published July 20, 2009 -
Frak to Cleveland Steamer: Xbox Live’s Big Book of Forbidden Words
In the 70s there were just seven words you couldn’t say on TV. Today there are thousands you can’t say on Xbox Live. The seven words deemed verboten by the 1973 Federal Communication Commission were scatological, anatomical and, well, nasty. What they all had in common, though, was that pretty much everyone over a certain…
By Brian Crecente Published July 20, 2009 -
New Dashboard Commercials Bring Ad Breaks To Your 360
As many of you have no doubt probably seen by now if you’ve been connected to Xbox Live, Microsoft’s new dashboard advertisements have begun appearing for Xbox 360 owners. Rather than the standard, static advertisements you’re used to seeing, these bring running commercials to your 360, in some cases complete with video and, more annoyingly,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2009 -
Ten Years Ago: “Halo is the Name of This Game.”
In 1999, Bungie was probably the best-known studio developing specifically for Macintosh, having delivered titles like Marathon, Myth, and Pathways Into Darkness. At Macworld 1999, Steve Jobs introduced the studio’s next big Mac exclusive: Halo. Within a year, Bungie would be bought out by Microsoft and Halo would become a launch title that, more than…
By Owen Good Published July 19, 2009 -
Microsoft Actually Responds to Obama’s Xbox Line in Speech
Getting huffy about President Obama using video games as a rhetorical punching bag in speeches on personal responsibility is pointlessly argumentative. But Microsoft has responded to POTUS’ latest call-out, this time of the Xbox. In his speech to the NAACP at its 100th anniversary celebration, Obama said parents can’t demand achievement in school and then…
By Owen Good Published July 18, 2009 -
Microsoft Seeks a Few Good Store Managers
Would you like an exciting career in retail management? Can you upsell a 13-month Xbox Live Gold subscription on a $100 wireless adapter? Can you answer “What’s a Zune?” without using the word “iPod”? If so, Microsoft has a job for you. As previously reported, the first stores in Microsoft’s grand plan to battle Apple…
By Owen Good Published July 18, 2009 -
Microsoft Handheld A Matter Of “When”
While there’s always been a lot of chatter surrounding the possibility of Microsoft entering the handheld gaming space, Microsoft themselves have always been rather evasive on the subject. Which is why these comments from Shane Kim are so surprising. In an interview with Kikizo, the Microsoft man opens up a little, saying “For us, it’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 17, 2009 -
Microsoft Gears Up For Fall Opening Of Retail Stores
Those Microsoft retail stores we’ve seen and been told about are going to stop popping up near Apple stores this fall, Microsoft told Cnet. “As we progress on our retail strategy there will be scenarios where we have stores in proximity to Apple,” a representative told CNET News. “We are on track to open stores…
By Brian Crecente Published July 17, 2009 -
Microsoft Closes Game Development Program
Microsoft have been getting into user-created gaming in a big way of late. First Xbox LIVE Community Games, then Kodu. Which means they have little use for their original games creator, Popfly. Released to minimal fanfare last year as a set of templates upon which people could build games with little or no programming experience,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 17, 2009 -
Xbox Live Update: Games On Demand, Netflix Movie Party & More
Next week, Microsoft will be previewing some of the new Xbox Live changes it announced at E3, updates that include improvements to Netflix streaming, Xbox 360 games on demand, an Avatar Marketplace and a whole lot more. That preview will roll out to media and select Xbox Live community members starting Monday. It includes new…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 16, 2009 -
Crackdown Wasn’t The Success You Think It Was
Crackdown was awesome! And it had a Halo 3 multiplayer beta key included! So it did great business for Microsoft and developers Realtime, right? Nope. Not even close. “With Crackdown we sold about 1.5 million copies, but even at that we pretty much only managed to break even,” says Dave Jones, boss of developers Realtime…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2009 -
Gates Wants to Bring Natal Tech to PC
Microsoft’s Project Natal, the motion-sensing game controls for the Xbox 360 unveiled at E3, is also being developed for PC use, Bill Gates told Cnet in a recent interview. It doesn’t, however, sound like the PC applications for the tech are about gaming, at least not yet. “I think the value is as great for…
By Brian Crecente Published July 15, 2009 -
PC Version Of Alan Wake Is Up To Microsoft
Alan Wake is coming to Xbox 360, that we know. But will it also be coming to the PC? Maybe. Just maybe. But if it does, that’s a decision to be made by Microsoft, not developers Remedy. Alan Wake fansite BrightFalls claims to have received a statement from the developers, which reads: Thank you for…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2009 -
Microsoft Showing “Exciting Unannounced Project” At Comic-Con
Comic-Con’s not typically an event one attends expecting to hear about the latest game announcements, but Microsoft is bringing with it something as yet unannounced, according to an invite from the Xbox 360 maker. Microsoft will be showcasing the already announced Halo 3: ODST, Alan Wake, The Beatles: Rock Band, Left 4 Dead 2 and…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 14, 2009 -
Fight Historic Battles In The Next Halo Wars DLC
Explore the history of the UNSC/Covenant War through bloody battle this month, with four new skirmish maps for Halo Wars in the Historic Battle add-on pack. While the first round of Halo Wars downloadable content focused on new game modes, the Historic Battle pack is all about delivering new places to strategically kill the enemy.…
By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2009 -
Microsoft To Launch Streaming Music Service, Could Hit 360
Microsoft have announced that they’re working on a streaming music service, similar to Europe’s Spotify, which should be ready to go by the end of this month. We’re interested because it could hit the Xbox 360. Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN, told The Telegraph that the Microsoft service would be similar to Spotify, “but…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2009 -
Indies Being Shut Out Of Xbox Live Arcade? [Update]
Having spoken with several “concerned” developers, Screen Play is reporting that Microsoft have begun to “dramatically reduce” the number of independent titles they publish on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s believed that the crackdown is a response to fears that there’s simply too much stuff available on the service, and that major publishers are behind the…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2009 -
Xbox UK Boss: The 360 is not a Child’s Toy
In an interview, Neil Thompson, Microsoft’s regional Xbox director for the United Kingdom, says console makers have a responsibility to educate the public on the meanings of game ratings and the ability to restrict them. Asked if most parents still held the impression that a game console is, primarily, a kid’s toy, “the simple answer…
By Owen Good Published July 12, 2009